Xbox One S Turns Microsoft’s Fortunes

The Xbox One S, the new, smaller model of the Xbox One that features a 4K bluray player and HDR, has quickly become a smash hit around the world and begun delivering Microsoft the success they have sorely missed so far in this generation.

Xbox Australia recently announced that since it’s release the Xbox One S has been the best selling console in Australia. In a market traditionally dominated by Playstation consoles, especially so with the incredibly successful Playstation 4, it’s no small feat for Microsoft to be finding success here. This is mirrored in the UK, where the Xbox One S has dominated the market since its release, and in the USA, where the latest NPD sales results show that the Xbox One has now been the top selling console for 4 months in a row, as confirmed by Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg. This comes after being dominated by the Playstation 4 for most of this generation.

The success of the Xbox One S is similar to that of the Playstation 2 and eventual success of the Playstation 3, in that its inclusion of the latest physical media standard has assisted its rise in popularity. At the time of this article, the cheapest 4K Bluray player that suppors HDR at JB Hi-Fi is $596, significantly more than the $399.95 RRP of the 500gb Xbox One S, so it’s easy to see why the console has become successful at a time when 4K TVs are finally becoming affordable.

With the Xbox One S and its inclusion of 4K bluray playback and HDR, Microsoft have finally reached their goal of presenting a product which can dominate the lounge as the go-to media hub. It will be interesting to see if its success continues now that the Playstation 4 Pro has released, but I personally believe it will.